There are those days of beery goodness that are just difficult to recap in words. Hopefully by throwing in a handful of photos I will be able to better convey the fun had on that Saturday afternoon. I think the smiles will give it away.
A few weeks ago (yes I am behind in posting this) I not only got to see behind the scenes at Orlando Brewing for the first time, but I also was able a meet a group of Central Florida beer writers/bloggers that I had only known via the internet before then. On top of that, after coordinating in advance with George at Orlando Brewing we were all treated extremely well during our time there.
Class photo
After arriving and taking a group picture it was off to the brewery floor where we were greeted by this . . .
The beer was even in the food
A comfortable setup
Having the opportunity to sit down with Gene and John while tasting close to ten different Orlando Brewing beers was quite the experience. Though I have been on a handful of brewery tours before then, I cannot think of any that were as comfortable and friendly as what they provided for us that afternoon.
By my memory we tasted the following Orlando Brewing beers while asking questions to John and Gene and comparing notes with each other . . .
- Blonde
- Pale Ale
- Red Ale
- Brown Ale
- European Pilz
- Blackwater Porter
- Olde Pelican (English Pale Ale)
- Oktoberfest
- Pompous Ass IPA
I may have missed one in there, but that made for a well rounded tasting experience. Since they had about 17 beers on tap that day (and brew more than 20 overall) I think we all got a very good start toward sampling everything they have to offer.
Getting all of the aroma
A view from above
Going from beer to beer with the people actually responsible for making it was a great way to better understand what we were drinking. Aside from learning about the three different brewing systems they have and learning about their brewing and bottling schedules, we were able to learn more about the specific ingredients going into each brew. That went a long way to better understanding what we were smelling and tasting from glass to glass.
All shiny and full of beer
New friends
It was quite a lot of fun being around a group of people that were as interested in the specifics of each beer as I am. I believe I can speak for the lot of us when I say that hearing about the how and why of the yeasts they use regularly and how they source their organic malts and hops was fascinating. The Wife would normally grow tired of beer-centric discussion like that, but even her ears stayed tuned throughout the discussion of the organic brewing ingredients.
Thanks for the hospitality John!
Originally I thought I would run down my tasting notes from each beer for this post, but I thought that simply recalling the great time we had there would provide some incentive for those of you that have not yet been to Orlando Brewing. Once you visit the brewery and taste the beers on your own we can compare notes!
Now for the credits (hoping that I am not forgetting anyone). It was great to meet up with and spend time with the folks from . . .
- Party Through The Parks
- Road Trips For Beer
- Crazy Cat Lady Beer
- Ales From The Crypt and Firkin Around
- Fmajowich
After that I must say a big thank you to George, Gene, and John at Orlando Brewing for spoiling us that afternoon. It was definitely a brewery visit unlike any other for me to date and I appreciated the chance to get to know the beer and the people behind the brewing it on a more personal level. I am already looking forward to sharing a pint with them in the tasting room again in the near future.
Cheers!
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